Hands-on training is necessary in the areas of technologies where, following their technical training, students will be expected to operate and trouble-shoot technical hardware of the type that is used in industrial applications. Most technologies today require sophisticated knowledge and skills training, particularly those relating to the mechanical, electrical and electro-mechanical arts where mechanical and electrical components are implemented to accomplish a particular functionality. Currently in the area of training in the electrical arts, students are expected to use oversized panels that contain a wide variety of “representative” components or theoretical renditions of components that simply replicate certain functionalities.                One problem with such panels is their size. They are not easily moved or even movable at all, which can hinder training. Another problem is that such panels include a wide variety of components, many of which are not commonly used in typical intended applications. Accordingly, such panels take up space, are not conducive to practical use and, most importantly DO not present a realistic representation of what the electrical and electronic hardware components will actually look like in the real world.        
As a substitute for cumbersome training panels that are common in the prior art, students often are asked to create functional “mock-ups” of their own. This can lead to the creation of electrical circuits that are not easily traced to ensure that the intended functionality is met, that may require students to assemble components that are cannibalized and pieced together in a rather unorganized or unintentional way, and may take up substantially more desk-space or table-space than is available to the student, significantly inhibiting the accessibility and effectiveness of the learning experience.
It is therefore desirable to introduce students to the various components that will be used during their employment and to do so at an early stage in their training such that the student begins to recognize them in the classroom setting so as to be ready to and capable of recognizing them in the field. It is also desirable to teach students component functionality as well as providing them with structural recognition skills that will reinforce the students' understanding as to what a particular component does and what it looks like in the field. It is also desirable to provide students with a wide variety of different functionalities, those functionalities being dependent on the student's area of technical studies.
As a substitute for cumbersome training panels that are known in the prior art, students often are asked to create functional “mock-ups” of their own. This can lead to the creation of electrical circuits that are not easily traced to ensure that the intended functionality is met, that may require students to assemble components that are cannibalized and pieced together in a rather unorganized way (and not in a way that the components would normally be arranged or placed in the field due to any number of considerations such as the use of too many components or the creation of unwanted heat, undesirable electromagnetic fields and electrical hazards, to name a few), and may take up substantially more desk-space or table-space than is available to the student.
In the experience of these inventors, there is a clear need to provide a training system that utilizes a plurality of pre-designed modules that are, individually, of the same size but each designed with a singular technological function, and collectively are designed to be combined with other modules to create integrated systems for advanced technological functions. There is also a need to provide such a system where the modules are highly portable, uniformly storable, and easily accessible for student use and training.